We are in the 4th decade of the struggle to get rid of the 8th amendment – no one under the age of 52 could even have voted for it. But this year should be the year and that’s why everyone should be on the March for Choice in Dublin, September 30th.
We are in the 4th decade of the struggle to get rid of the 8th amendment – no one under the age of 52 could even have voted for it. But this year should be the year and that’s why everyone should be on the March for Choice in Dublin, September 30th.
It’s been a year when young children have been sectioned under the Mental Health Act for seeking abortions and suicidal women have been denied access to the abortion they’re entitled to under the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act because their doctor doesn’t think they’re “suicidal enough". This is a result of recent legislation introduced by the last Fine Gael/Labour Party government and clearly shows why we cannot trust the politicians one inch.
We warned at the time this would be a likely consequence of that legislation, the same legislation also threatens to jail women who obtain abortions by importing the abortion pill for 14 years. In Northern Ireland 3 women have been prosecuted under a similar law and the homes of pro-chocie activists raided, we cannot be complacent. In October we are going to be running a bus from Dublin to Belfast for the Rally for Choice there.
The government set up the Citizens’ Assembly to both delay things and because they expected the Citizens’ Assembly would not take a pro-choice position. When it did they started to invent excuses for why they would not legislate along those lines. It’s still quite possible they will try to present us with a useless amendment that doesn’t get rid of the 8th but proposes a replacement that is almost as bad. For instance perhaps they will require women to go in front of a panel of doctors to prove they have been raped.
That’s why all of us need to get out and march on the 30th. We have to maximise the pressure by maximising the numbers in the streets. The 8th has to go.
So see you at Parnell square at 13.30 on the 30th.
Join and promote the ARC / organisers Facebook event to get your friends out
March with the Anarchist bloc on the day
Read more about the history of the 8th amendment and the long fight against it at